UPS orders 18 additional Boeing freighters

The Atlanta-based parcel giant’s additional order for 14 more 747-8 and four 767 freighters was fueled by increasing customer demand for air cargo capacity.    UPS has placed an additional order with Boeing for 14 more 747-8 and four 767 freighters, in response to increasing customer demand for air cargo capacity, the company said.
   All of the new aircraft will be added to the existing fleet, with no existing aircraft to be replaced.
   The aircraft will be delivered on an expedited schedule, building on the company’s 2016 order of 14 Boeing 747-8 freighters. All 32 planes will be delivered by the end of 2022, adding more than 9 million pounds of cargo capacity.
   UPS’s global airline network includes more than 500 owned and leased planes. UPS received three new 747-8 freighters in 2017 alone.
   “Our intra-U.S. next-day and deferred air shipments are expanding to record levels, and UPS’s International segment has produced four consecutive quarters of double-digit export shipment growth,” said David Abney, UPS chairman and CEO, in a statement. “To support this strong customer demand, we continue to invest in additional air capacity, providing the critical link our customers need to markets around the world.”
   UPS further cited the recent passage of the U.S. tax reform legislation for allowing it to use the tax savings to increase capital investments.